Slovakia’s Juraj Slafkovský has already established himself as an Olympic superstar

Feb 12, 2026, 11:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 11, 2026, 18:37 EST

Slovakia’s Juraj Slafkovský has already established himself as an Olympic superstar

Credit: David W Cerny/Reuters via Imagn Images

A short hockey tournament should never determine a player’s future. But the 2022 Winter Olympic Games cemented Juraj Slafkovský as a future star – and, a few months later, the first player taken in the NHL Draft.

Just 17 at the time, Slafkovský led Slovakia to its only medal to date, taking home bronze after scoring seven goals in seven games. It was more than he scored in 31 games playing against pros in the top Finnish league and by far the best output of his national team career at the time, regardless of level.

Sure, the NHLers were absent. It wasn’t best-on-best. But Slafkovský took the opportunity by the horns and absolutely deserved the most valuable player honor.

Slafkovský registered two goals and an assist in Slovakia’s 4-1 victory over Finland on Wednesday. With his eighth and ninth career Olympic goals, the Montreal Canadiens forward is tied for ninth with Jaromir Jagr since the NHL started sending players in 1998. It only took Slafkovský eight games to make that happen, too. For reference, he’s tied with Alex Ovechkin – the game’s greatest goal-scorer – who needed three tournaments to reach eight.

Marián Hossa (14 goals in 19 games) is the Slovakian gold standard. Marian Gáborík (seven), Pavol Demitra (six) and Peter Bondra (five) have also been productive. The issue? No other active member of the Slovak roster has more than two career Olympic goals.

Slafkovský would be the first to tell you his history with the Slovak federation is complicated. He publicly criticized the team’s leadership in an interview with The Athletic’s Arpon Basu, saying the team can’t get complacent if they’re going to keep challenging for medals. Slafkovský skipped the Olympic qualification tournament in 2024 and then didn’t participate – along with a handful of other Slovak NHLers – at the World Championship in the spring, as the team missed the playoff round for the second time in five years.

“We got the Olympic (bronze) medal (in 2022)… but that was lucky because there was no NHL players,” Slafkovský said. “Let’s be honest, we wouldn’t have won that medal if everyone had their full squad. But we get satisfied by these little things. … We think we’re doing things the right way, but we’re not. We’re just pretending.”

Whether everything is fully patched up is up to the parties involved. But Slafkovský is in Italy and thriving already.

As Slovakia’s lone active top-six NHLer, the pressure for Slafkovský to perform is immense. But Slafkovský’s game has come a long, long way since 2022. He’s more confident using his big frame to win physical battles, his shot has gotten even harder and his confidence is at an all-time high. He’s currently in the midst of a breakout season with 45 points; Slafkovský is on pace for a 30-goal, 65-point campaign.

For Slovakia to stand a chance the rest of the time in Italy, Slafkovský needs to be the team’s top player every single night. That’s asking a lot out of the 21-year-old. That’s basically forcing him to carry the nation’s load on his shoulders.

The Slovaks proved on Wednesday that they can hang with more NHL-dominated rosters. But they also showed that a lack of high-end skill and playdrivers could burn them when the games matter. While having just one or two forwards leading the charge up front typically isn’t a recipe for success, if someone like Slafkovský can come up clutch like Slovak – and Canadiens – fans know he’s capable of, they might be fine.

Seriously, go look at Slafkovský’s shifts on Wednesday. Between his size, hockey sense and speed, he was the best player on the ice. He seems to thrive under pressure, and he’s downright dominant when he wears his nation’s colors.

The 2022 Games were a distant memory. Many NHL fans didn’t watch a second of it. Slafkovský definitely doesn’t want that to be the lasting legacy of his national team career.

Right now, Slafkovský is proving why he’s a special player. We’re all watching him develop into a star in real time.

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